When it comes to reducing greenhouse gases, the Amalgamated Transit Union will lead the way.

No union is better positioned to benefit from and assist in the fight against global warming than the ATU. And no solution is more practical and sensible than expanding mass transit systems so workers in the U.S. and Canada are not spending two hours a day in their automobiles stuck in traffic gridlock – while pumping more and more dangerous carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

The world faces the greatest environmental crisis in human history. We have to slash greenhouse gas emissions and we’ve got to do it quickly. In the meantime, while many of the suggestions in this issue will help, they will not be enough to provide a quality life for our children and grandchildren.

Today, in every city in North America, there are mass transit systems that can make a profound difference immediately. The blogs are full of comments and commentary on how mass transit is an answer. Here are some interesting and enlightening facts by the numbers:

So we don’t need to reinvent the wheel, or create new infrastructure from scratch (although the infrastructure needs a lot of work). The machinery is in place. We, the skilled workers are in place.

All we need is the political will to provide the funding and the insight and incentives to get the public to get out of their cars and onto our buses and trains.

As I said in my speech at the recent ATU Convention, we cannot stop climate change until we change the political climate. The Bush Administration has not only been silent, they have rewarded the polluters with tax breaks and incentives. But there will be changes and we the ATU, will be at the ground floor.